Indian Cartoonist Kanika Mishra Shares 2014 Courage Award

Kanika Mishra was chosen as the co-recipient of our 2014 CIEC award for her courageous work critical of Asaram Bapu, a popular religious leader accused of rape. Kanika refused to keep quiet in the face of death threats against her and her family by the guru’s devotees, continuing her targeting of Asaram and India’s rape culture with more cartoons featuring Karnika Kahen, her “everywoman” cartoon creation. Then her Facebook and email accounts were hacked, with personal information stolen and more threats made if she refused to take the cartoons down. Instead she continued cartooning, and took the threats to cyber crime authorities in Mumbai, and local police.
As she recounted while accepting the Courage Award at the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists convention: “We had to make a decision, and we decided not to bend down before these goons. There were many young boys and girls who were sending me messages that they are proud of me, and how they are inspired by my work and attitude. I decided not to let them down. I decided to make cartoons about Guru Asaram until his followers tired of abusing and threatening me.”